Dog foils abduction

Teen escapes attempted kidnapping; attacker flees

A 15-year-old Soldotna girl is crediting her dog with saving her from a would-be abductor along the Kenai Spur Highway near Kenai on Tuesday evening.

According to Alaska State Troopers, the girl  whose name was not being released  was walking her American bulldog, Tank, along the bike path near Mooring Drive between 5:45 and 6 p.m. when a man grabbed her and tried to force her into his truck.

The man, described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with short dark hair, brown eyes, dark complexion and being clean-shaven, reportedly grabbed the girl’s arm and tried to force her into his pickup truck.

The victim told troopers her dog bit the man on the arm giving her time to escape his grasp.

She said the man, who was in his early to mid-30s, got back into his truck and slammed the door on the dog in an attempt to get away.

She said she called off her dog and they both ran home.

The girl described the truck as a black, older model Chevrolet with an extended cab and an open, short bed.

Troopers are asking anyone who may have more information about the suspect to call troopers at 262-4453 or Crime Stoppers at 283-8477.

The victim’s father said Wednesday the girl had bruises on her arm where she had been grabbed.

The father also said the dog, which weighs about 100 pounds, appeared somber and traumatized by the incident, as though he did something wrong.

“I’ve never seen him like this. He’s normally very upbeat,” he said. “If he bit that guy’s arm, the guy’s got some damage.”

The father said immediately following the attack, the girl, her older brother and the parents drove around the area for about an hour trying unsuccessfully to find the assailant.

“We called police while we were driving,” he said.

On Wednesday, trooper Lt. Peter Mlynarik said investigators are reinterviewing the girl and are taking the report seriously at this time.

Mlynarik said no other similar incidents have been reported in the Kenai-Soldotna area recently.